Degree Programs


 

What can I take ONLINE and in the classroom?

Certificate in Christian Studies (CCS)

Diploma in Biblical Counseling (DBC)

Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS)

 

 

Metro Atlanta Seminary also offers a

Bachelors of Theology (BTh)

Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS)

Master of Divinity degree (MDiv),

Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Gospel Renewal and Pastoral Leadership.

Bachelor’s Degree

Students who do not have an undergraduate degree are able to enroll in MAS, follow the same pathway as the Master in Divinity, and receive a Bachelor’s in Theology. Our Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) is a three‑year, course of study intended to prepare students for Christian ministry and leadership.  Along with studies in Old and New Testament, Theology, Church History, and Biblical Languages, each student will be required to be involved with a local church and meet with a mentor during their course of studies in order to complete the requirements for the “Practicum and Mentoring” aspect of the program. View or download the Bachelor and MDiv Curriculum.

Entrance Requirement: A High School Diploma or equivalent

Master’s Degree

Metro Atlanta Seminary offers three graduate degrees.  Students can earn the Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) online and in the classroom.  The Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS) and the Master of Divinity (MDiv) require classroom attendance.  This chart will show you a Comparison of the Master Degrees course of study including the requirements for mentoring and completing the practicum.

Entrance Requirement: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Master of Arts in Biblical Studies

and the Master of Arts in Theological Studies

If you are teaching in a Christian School or active in ministry and want to focus on God’s word you will want to consider the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS).  Along with a solid foundation in church history, and theology, you will also explore the biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek and apply that knowledge to exegesis.  Biblical courses include Old and New Testament Survey courses, Genesis, The Prophets, the Old Testament Historical Books, Romans, Ephesians and 1 Peter.   View or download the Course Record for the MABS.

Portions of the program can be taken online by Zoom.

For those wanting to pursue a graduate degree in theology to be better equipped in ministry and teaching consider the Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS)The program does not include the biblical languages but does provide the student with a solid base of theology courses as well as covering scripture to include the Old and New Testament Survey courses, Biblical Theology, Survey of the Covenants and others.   View or download the Course Record for the MATS.

This degree can be earned online.

Entrance Requirement: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Master of Divinity

Our Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is a three‑year course of study intended to prepare students for Christian ministry and leadership. Along with studies in Old and New Testament, Theology, Church History, and Biblical Languages, each student is required to be involved with a local church and have a mentor in order to complete the “Practicum and Mentoring” aspect of the program. View or download the Course plan for the MDiv.

Some of the courses for this program are available online.

Entrance Requirement: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Doctor of Ministry

The MAS Doctor of Ministry in Gospel Renewal and Pastoral Leadership is designed to foster personal, cross-tethered, spiritual revitalization in each student and to upgrade their leadership skills for leading renewal in churches, ministry organizations, and communities. This program is for pastors and ministry leaders who’ve been in full-time vocational ministry for at least five years post their master’s degree (MDiv or equivalent). As a program requiring extensive reading and writing, each DMin course centers on one full-day seminar each quarter where students receive practical instruction, discuss the primary texts for the course, as well as share personal experiences and best practices. In addition to the academic aspects of the program, each student meets monthly with a coaching cohort to process course material and with a personal mentor to more personally apply the principles of gospel renewal and pastoral leadership, helping each student live all of life tethered to the cross of Jesus. At the conclusion of the program, the candidate produces a Cornerstone Dissertation that integrates what they have learned in the program into a foundational Ministry Manifesto of sorts that is intended to guide them into a life of ongoing gospel renewal and leadership.

 

For more information, please visit: The Doctor of Ministry in Gospel Renewal and Pastoral Leadership.

Entrance Requirement: Graduate Degree (MDiv or equivalent)

Certificate in Christian Studies

Our Certificate in Christian Studies may be completed in one year by taking two classes on Monday evenings or in two years by taking one course at a time.  Starting this August, you may start and complete this program online!  The Certificate mirrors the curriculum for the first year of the M.Div. degree program, consisting of 12 credit hours of academic study of the Bible, including courses in Old and New Testament Survey, Theology, and your choice of Preaching or Teaching and Learning. Students also are assigned a mentor for three terms. There are no practicum requirements.  For a copy of the curriculum click here.

Students have the option at any time to transfer Certificate credits into a full degree program.

Entrance Requirement: High School Diploma or GED

Diploma in Biblical Counseling

This is a two year program and our first cohort graduates in May, 2022.  While this program does not lead to a license in counseling, it does equip men and women in the congregation to serve other members in the church and in the community.  Along with the Biblical Counseling courses the student will also receive biblical and theological training from the MAS core curriculum. Those courses are transferable to other MAS programs. Likewise, if a student has already taken the MAS courses, they need not be repeated.

How do we define Biblical Counseling? Biblical Counseling seeks to bring focus and clarity in addressing human problems drawing from the standard of God’s word and the perspective, training and discernment of the biblical counselor.  Biblical counseling is aware of the value of other disciplines such as psychology, sociology, social work and secular counseling.  However, the biblical counselor holds, as the highest value, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, working in both the counselor and the counselee.  This work is theological in nature, pastoral in focus, and life-changing in intention.

Applications for our next cohort commencing in August, 2022 are currently being accepted through June 30th (2022).  In addition to the MAS application process (see the Application page) prospective students will be interviewed, required to have a reference letter from their Senior Pastor or a pastor on staff at their church.  Applicants may also be required to to participate in other testing prior to acceptance and submit to a background check in their second year of study.  Classes are held on Thursday evenings at the North Campus.

For a copy of the curriculum click here.

Entrance Requirement:  High School Diploma or GED

Accreditation

MAS is fully accredited through the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries (ARTS) (www.artseminaries.org), under the authority of a Board, and supported by the Christian Education Committee of Metro Atlanta Presbytery (PCA).

Although ARTS is an accrediting agency, it has not yet obtained recognition from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The ARTS Board of Directors has applied for CHEA recognition and expects a decision in early 2024.  Distance Education students should be aware of the following information related to the issue of accreditation. In response to the proliferation of “diploma mills” around the nation, some states have tightened their laws regarding which out-of-state institutions can offer classes and degrees to their residents. The tendency in those states is to exclude all institutions which do not have an accreditation recognized by CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education. While MAS believes that the classes and degree programs it offers are of very high quality, prospective students should be aware of this issue. If you live in a state which has restrictions on out-of-state institutions of higher education, you should confirm that those restrictions do not affect your ability to earn a degree through MAS before enrolling in any program.

The State of Georgia considers MAS a religiously exempt institution.

“This institution is exempt from authorization under O.C.G.A. § 20-3-250.3(a)(6) Nonpublic, nonprofit, postsecondary educational institutions which demonstrate annually to the satisfaction of the commission that their purposes are solely to provide programs of study in theology, divinity, religious education, and ministerial training, and they do not grant postsecondary degrees of a nonreligious nature and that such institutions: (A) Accept no federal or state funds; and (B) Accept no student who has a federal or state education loan to attend such institutions.”

 

 

My experience at Metro Atlanta Seminary helped me to encounter God in a bigger way. I have been able to put many things into practice in my mental health teachings with faith groups and also with my other ministries.  Not only did it fit into my busy schedule of work and life but I felt that the instructors were pouring love into me in a way that heightened my growth and edification.

It was a calling to be part of something bigger than a personal goal or achievement.

Marti Vogt

I originally came to the US to go to Seminary. In God’s providence, circumstances changed and I was not able to accomplish that desire. MAS gave me an opportunity to fulfill that dream. MAS was affordable and also provided the flexibility that I needed at my current stage of life. MAS was used of the Lord to deepen my understanding of Scripture and to be better equipped to serve the body of Christ as a teacher and an elder. I not only obtained an education, but I also was able to build good relationships through the years at MAS.

Andrés Arráez

Metro Atlanta Seminary gave me the opportunity to pursue a longtime dream of mine to earn a Master of Divinity. The evening classes and affordable tuition made it possible for me to attend seminary as a working mother of three young children. I received guidance and gained invaluable experience in ministry through the mentoring and practicuum component of the program.

Joyce Dalrymple

2019 Graduate

My time attending MAS was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in my life. The teachers are fantastic and small classes lend themselves to a lot of interaction and discussion. I highly recommend MAS; I graduated with great head knowledge, but far more importantly I have fallen deeper in love with Christ, and gained applicable tools and skills to pursue a life of ministry.

Danielle Blackgrave

Attending and graduating from Metro Atlanta Seminary (MAS) has fulfilled a desire I have had since becoming a Christian in 1983. It has been a wonderful extension of a journey that began when Christ burst into my life at that time. For a husband, father, Elder and businessman, MAS has conveniently provided me outstanding teaching and fellowship, leading to a deeper knowledge and love for the person and work of Christ. I graduate from MAS with fond memories of wonderful teachers and classmates, and move on better equipped to worship, teach and share applications to others, hopefully enabling a deeper relationship with Christ for me and those with whom I interact.

George Vaughan

  • Andrés
  • Joyce
  • Danielle
  • George
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